August Book Wrap Up/Reviews

Book Wrap Up and Reviews For August

How is it the end of August you guys? This year has gone by so fast already and I can't believe that we only have 4 more months until the new year. With the end of August brings the end of my Summer Book Binge. I didn't do as good this month as I did in the earlier parts of summer, however I am so proud of how much I was able to read this summer. I only read four books this month, but I DNF'd (did not finish) one book and I am about 30% of the way through another one. With the four books I did finish, my total for the summer comes to TWENTY-FIVE books! I honestly can't believe that! I definitely feel that I have learned a lot about myself as a reader and it definitely heavily influenced my decision to take creative writing this semester. I read a couple of absolutely phenomenal books this summer and some that I simply couldn't stand. Alas, here are my thoughts on the four books I read this month. 

Teardrop by Lauren Kate

The main character, Eureka, and her mom, Diana, are involved in a car accident caused by a giant wave, that kills Eureka's mother, but was meant to kill Eureka. After she is mostly healed from the wreck, she starts being followed by this boy named Ander, who was actually the one sent to kill Eureka, but couldn't end up going through with it. (That's not a spoiler, it happens in the first chapter.) When Diana's will is read, she leaves Eureka with some seemingly meaningless heirlooms, but they soon reveal their importance to Eureka's life. I did not expect that level of description that went into making this novel what it was. There were a couple of character deaths that were just incredibly gruesome in their description and almost made me sick at my stomach while reading them. I felt annoyed by Eureka's character quite a bit throughout the book, because she doesn't tend to recognize her flaws, even when another character points them out to her. The magic system in this book was unlike anything I have ever read before. The powers that Ander and his people have revolve around influencing the weather, so it was very interesting. I enjoyed this book for the most part and hope to get a good wrap-up of the story in the sequel, Waterfall. Rating: 7/10

Everyday by David Levithan

In this story, "A" wakes up in a different person's body every single day. "A" doesn't think of themself as a he or she, because each day it could be either a female or male body that they wake up in. "A" typically tries not to interfere with the lives of the people's bodies he wakes up in, so as not to alter their lives permanently, however one day "A" wakes up in a girl named Rhiannon's boyfriend's body. "A" falls in love with Rhiannon and then does everything he can to be with her. This means manipulating other people's lives and inadvertently getting them into trouble. The conception for this book is so interesting to me and I believe that it was played out really well. However, Rhiannon's boyfriend was a jerk in the story and didn't give her the attention that she deserved, but that does not constitute "A" to be able to mess with their relationship so that they can be with Rhiannon. I felt like the book almost glorified cheating in a way. It was hard to enjoy "A's" character after he begins manipulating the lives of others in order to find a way to try to get Rhiannon to be with him instead of her boyfriend. Rating: 5/10

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick

 

Steven is a talented drummer and he's only 13. He spends most of his time practicing his drums, taking drum lessons, and wishing that girls would notice him. He finds out that he is going to get a huge solo at the end-of-year concert and then also finds out that his younger brother, Jeffrey, is diagnosed with leukemia. With the main character being only 13, the author wrote a lot about how Steven wanted the attention from his parents that he wasn't getting and about how selfish the main character was, but throughout the book, Steven learns how to cope with his feelings and realize that in his brother's illness, he needs to take a step back and not try to draw attention to himself. This ended up being a really good story of grief, sacrifice, understanding, and family bonds. I'm not sure if it's considered YA or Middle Grade, but it was a quick read for me. I felt like the main character spoke like he was a lot older than he actually was, and I don't know if that's because he is pretty smart or if the author just made his dialect sound too old. Overall this was a fairly enjoyable read. Rating: 6/10

Rooms by Lauren Oliver

This book is sort of hard to describe. Basically, the Walker family have to clean out their father's home after he passes away. The main characters include Richard Walker's (the dead father) ex-wife, Caroline, his daughter, Minna, and her young daughter, Amy, his teen son, Trenton, oh and two ghosts named Sandra and Alice. The house has a lot of history and Sandra and Alice just want to be released from the home. Family relations are not the best and the tension does not make the grieving period any easier. The POV goes back and forth between the main six characters, and sometimes goes to a few minor character's POV. The house reveals some secrets as the family is cleaning it out and it makes for some great twists and turns in the story line. The best part of this book for me was the writing. This is the first book by Lauren Oliver I have read, but her diction is fantastic. I put quite a few sticky notes by quotes that I just fell in love with. This is typically shelved as a YA book, but it is definitely more of an Adult novel. There is a lot of profanity and suggestive topics. I really enjoyed this story and it was a great book to end the month on. Rating: 8/10

So there you guys have it! The end to my Summer Book Binge. I'm definitely trying to allow myself more time to pleasure read during the school year, because I think it makes me happier and gives me something better to do than lay on the couch all weekend watching Say Yes to the Dress or Teen Titans Go! I feel very confident as a reader after this summer's many reads and I can't wait to see how much I can read next summer! 

Pages Read this Month: 1,581 (including the pages in the book I did not finish and the book that I am currently reading)

~Em

Senior Year: Here We Come!

Senior Year Is Here!

Well, here it is. I am starting my senior year of college! Yes I know that this is only my third year of college, but alas, it's actually a reality that I will be graduating an entire year early! It's hard to believe this is happening and my heart starts pumping a little too fast when I think about it for too long, yet it's an exciting journey that is bittersweet. These last two semesters are going to be some of the busiest times of my life, however I'm the type of person who loves to be busy and I know it will help me thrive. I met with the Dean of my school this week and he's afraid that I will be intellectually bored this semester with my schedule, but I planned it out that way because of my responsibilities with extracurriculars such as band, SAI, OSF, and Peake Partnership. I am thrilled about several of the classes I'm taking this semester, including Social Psychology, Cognition, and Intro to Creative Writing. I'm in both marching band and Wind Ensemble this semester again and our marching show this year is Blues Brothers. I moved in to school a little over a week ago because we had auditions and band camp, which went so surprisingly well! Last year's band camp was pretty awful and we did not accomplish much at all, but this year, we already have our entire marching show's music memorized and have started working on our stand tunes and a special show for Battle of the Ravine this year. Our incoming freshmen are quite good players and seem motivated to look/sound good. Moving early has also allowed me to get settled in and get my room decorated how I want it. Although, it's not QUITE finished, but when it is, I promise that I will post pictures!

This year, I have a few goals/a sort of bucket list for my senior year, just to make sure I go out with a bang and make this year my best year of college. These goals include things such as hanging out with friends more often, initiating more girls into SAI, and a few other things that are just going to make me feel happy and confident that I had a worthwhile college experience. Thus far in my college days, I have struggled a lot with suggesting to friends that we hang out and then not making plans so nothing ever comes of it. I want to be able to say to a friend that we are going to hang out and then actually do it! 

Classes start tomorrow and so in a few days after I have an impression of my classes, I will definitely let you guys know what I think! Stay tuned for the adventures that shall ensue during my SENIOR YEAR! ~Em

My Summer Internship

My Summer Internship!

Today is the day I'm finally writing about my summer internship! I don't know if you guys are interested in hearing about my internship but I thought I would share what I can with you. 

Since my internship was in the field of counseling, I cannot legally share many in depth details about my time at the Ouachita Behavioral Health and Wellness Clinic, but I can share with you the things that I learned about myself and my future. 

As many of you know, prior to this summer, I worked in a snowcone stand for three summers before. It was an awesome starting job and I enjoyed my time there, yet with the pressure of graduating with my Bachelor's degree this coming May, I couldn't help but feel like I needed to be doing something more productive with my time and do something that would benefit me more for my future. 

So, with the help of the Dean of my school and one of my professors, I landed the internship at OBHAW. When I went into the internship, I was told I would be working with the C.L.I.M.B. program. This program is for children who have significant behavioral problems and cannot attend normal school because of these problems. The goal for the program is to get them the counseling/therapy that they need so that they can return safely to regular school. I was also under the impression that this was a program where I would be working with preschool children. If you know anything about me, you probably know that I am not particularly a fan of preschool children (with a few exceptions.) I'm not going to lie; I was beyond nervous for this experience. I did not know though, that C.L.I.M.B. was for children of all age groups. 

On my first day, I was down in the preschool area. Let me tell you, they sure gave me a run for my money. I am just germaphobic enough that preschoolers seriously gross me out. All the runny noses, slobber, and germs that preschoolers love to share are just not for me. Preschoolers with behavior problems are also very fond of hitting, kicking, scratching, biting, and whatever they can to escape from you. It was an intense first day, to say the least. 

After that day, with the exception of one other day, I was with the older kids for the rest of my internship. At the particular time of my internship, we had kids ranging from 11-14 years old. This was much more up my alley and enjoyed being with the older kids a lot more. I worked on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday during each week and on each of the different days, we went on an outing. So on Tuesdays, we would take the kids swimming, Wednesdays we would go to the movies, and Thursdays we would go to the park. Being able to go on the outings also depended on the kids behaviors though. 

During my time with the kids, it certainly wasn't what I was expecting, but I learned so much about what it takes to be a counselor, what I need to do to prepare for my future, and what the kids need in order to get the help they deserve. These kids often have major outbursts of anger. Each day is something new and you have to be on your toes because you never know what to expect. Over the course of the summer I had a chair and a portable speaker thrown at me, I was screamed at multiple times, completely ignored at other times, and pranked more times than I can count, but I was also admired and respected by these kiddos many many times. I got to learn how these kids are taught to cope when they are feeling triggered by the other clients or something that's out of their control and I got to see them trying to cope and do what they have to to come down from an outrage. 

These were some of the sweetest kids who were raised under unfortunate circumstances and didn't choose to develop behavioral issues. You often see both sides of them multiple times throughout each day. I went into this internship knowing that I did not want to work with kids when I am licensed and this experience helped me to verify that. However, I have insane respect for the coworkers I had and all other people who can work with children. 

I came out of this internship feeling much more prepared for my future with what I learned about the next steps that I need to take and what all I will have to do after grad school. I came out of this internship with awesome references and even some new friends. But most importantly, I came out of this internship with an awareness and confidence that I am going into the right field and that I am certain that I want to make a difference in peoples' lives. 

My plan right now is to finish my Bachelor's degree in May, eventually go to grad school and get a Master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, and hopefully become a Licensed Professional Counselor and work in outpatient for mostly adults, but in a family setting, with kids as well. 

I am excited for my future and excited to change lives in a positive, impactful way. ~Em